How safe is your hotel?

Hotel security in this day and age is becoming increasingly important for guests, and leading hotel groups have taken these added expectations into account to plug loopholes and eliminate weak links.

Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Blu brand has now moved the concept to the next level, and over 100 of their hotels around the world are already certified by the Safehotels Alliance, after staff received extensive training on a series of aspects related to situational awareness, observations, surveillance techniques, and first response.

Paul Moxness, responsible for Corporate Safety and Security at Radisson Blu, explains: “Safety and security play an increasingly important role for all global businesses. The agreement with Safehotels Alliance allows us to further develop our outstanding safety and security program and to create additional value for our guests, staff, and owners. We are proud to be taking the lead on this development in so many markets.”

The Safehotels Alliance certification verifies the safety of hotels based on the “Global Hotel Security Standard ©,” which facilitates the communication between hotels and the travel industry. The certification program covers a wide range of criteria including security equipment, staff awareness and training, fire security, and first aid. In total, there are 3 levels of distinction ranging from “Safehotels Certificate” to “Safehotels Executive” and “Safehotels Premium Certificate.”

The three biggest benefits for guests staying in a certified hotel were given as:

• The trustworthy safety certificate makes it easier to identify the hotels which are especially well-prepared in the case of negative incidents.

• Communication with hotels in terms of safety is easier.

• The probability of negative security incidents is reduced.

The Radisson Blu Nairobi, located on Upper Hill, is among the first of those already certified with a Premium label as is the Radisson Blu in Addis Ababa, while other sister hotels in the region are said to be undergoing training and audits to establish their level of preparedness. Only eight of the Radisson Blu hotels in Africa are presently certified, one with an entry certificate, six with the Premium label, and one with the Executive label.